Google Chrome is GROWING

Google Chrome is growing, and it's growing fast! Launched on September 2, 2008 as a beta version (the [last] stable version was released on April 27, 2010), Google Chrome didn't start as an eye catcher. But, with each version launched, the browser from Google got better and better and gained more and more users.

According to a recent report from Netmarketshare.com (the Market Share Statistics Company), made in the time frame April 2009 – April 2010, Google Chrome recorded the biggest increase in the number of users, being the surprise element in the browsers' war. Chrome has now 6.73% of the market, and although it may not seem much, if we were to compare it to 1.79% a year ago, it is the biggest increase so far. The growth of Google Chrome started in May, 2009 when it had 2.18% of the market, and continued until April, 2010 when it reached 6.73%.

The same report from Netmarketshare shows that Firefox has 24.59% of the market, ranking second, same as last year. The browser from Microsoft, IE, is losing ground: less than 60% of the web surfers use now Internet Explorer, comparing to a staggering 90% in the past, while Opera has 2.30% and Safari 4.72%.

So, if we compare the growth of Google Chrome, browser which was launched only two years ago, with Internet Explorer (May, 2009 - 68.10%; April 2010 - 59.95%) and Firefox (May, 2009 - 22.75%; April 2010 - 24.59%), we can say that Google Chrome is eager to get bigger.
 
If you wonder why Google Chrome is growing in popularity, well my answer is simple: firstly, its features make Chrome distinguish itself from browsers like Firefox or Opera. One such feature is that every tab is a unique process, making the memory management a lot easier and eliminating memory leaks. So, each tab is on its own: if one tab crashes there will be no impact on other tabs. This is a very useful feature, because if you are working with many tabs at once (as me), you may lose important information if the entire browser goes down.

Secondly, Chrome has revolutionary JavaScript engine, which is made to work even faster than the so called "fastest browsers". Also, in the built-in Task Manager you can see what tab "eats" more memory or CPU time than others, and manage effectively your tabs by reducing unneeded memory or CPU usage.

More tests made between Google Chrome, IE, Firefox and Opera indicate the following:
- Google Chrome has a better launch time: only 1 sec comparing to Firefox: 2 sec and Opera: 3 sec.
- Although, the memory usage for 5 tabs initially indicates that Google Chrome is eating 75.4MB memory, which is more than its rivals: IE 60MB, Firefox 64.4MB and Opera 52.2MB, after 10 min of intensive surfing the numbers are as following: IE 96MB, Firefox 109.8MB, Opera 96.6MB and Chrome 84.1.MB.

If you are a Firefox fan or user and move on to Google Chrome, you really can't ignore the benefits: Chrome starts immediately, compared to Firefox which has a slow start (if you have a toolbar installed Firefox starts even slower); Chrome offers a larger view of the website, by displaying only the necessary buttons; Chrome's default theme, in my opinion, has a better design, is better organized and it's more similar to full screen mode, rather than the one from Firefox or IE; also, Chrome has integrated a search functionality in the address bar, which is also capable of offering address suggestions.

So, no matter how familiar your current browser feels, Chrome is determined to change our minds and keep on growing. While waiting for the final version of Chrome 5 to see if Google keeps the tradition of good performances, you can try out Chrome 4 here: http://www.google.com/chrome